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For many companies, an internet outage isn’t just an inconvenience—it can bring operations to a complete halt. Even providers with excellent service agreements and high uptime guarantees can experience failures. That’s why having a backup internet connection is no longer a nice-to-have but an essential safeguard for any organization that relies on online access to serve customers and manage day-to-day tasks.
If you haven’t yet set up redundancy, now is the time to think seriously about it. Here are five key steps to guide you through the process of choosing a backup connection that fits your business needs.
1. Understand the Types of Redundancy
Redundancy usually comes in two forms:
- Failover redundancy activates only when your primary internet goes down. This keeps your team connected during outages, but the backup line often sits idle until it’s needed.
- Load-balancing redundancy uses both connections simultaneously. It requires more configuration but delivers extra benefits, such as tapping into additional bandwidth during peak demand.
In recent years, many businesses have begun adopting SD-WAN technology, which intelligently monitors multiple providers and automatically routes traffic through the best available connection. While more advanced, it simplifies redundancy and maximizes the value of every service you use.
2. Choose the Right Connection Types
Not all internet connections fail for the same reasons, which makes diversity important. Ideally, you should pair a wired connection with a wireless one to reduce the risk of downtime caused by shared vulnerabilities.
Common wired options include:
- DSL or copper lines
- Cable
- Fiber optics
Wireless options include:
- Satellite
- 5G or WiMax
- Point-to-point fixed wireless (capable of business-grade performance)
Beyond the technology itself, consider how the service physically reaches your building. If both providers run cables through the same conduit, a single event—like construction damage or fire—could knock them out together. True redundancy means avoiding those shared points of failure.
3. Evaluate Bandwidth Needs
Your backup connection doesn’t necessarily need to match your primary one in speed. However, it should provide enough capacity to keep essential operations running without major slowdowns. Some providers offer burstable bandwidth, which automatically scales up during periods of high demand and charges only for what you use. This option can be cost-effective for businesses with occasional spikes in usage.
4. Balance Cost and Value
Since a backup connection may only be used occasionally, you don’t want to pay premium rates for capacity you rarely tap into. Look for providers that offer specific redundancy pricing or packages tailored for failover use. Shopping around and comparing options can save your business significant money while still ensuring peace of mind.
5. Ensure Carrier and Route Diversity
Working with two different providers is often a good starting point, but it’s not enough on its own. You should also confirm that their routes into your building are completely independent. If both services rely on the same data center or infrastructure, you’re still at risk of losing connectivity through a single failure point.
Technologies like SD-WAN can help by monitoring multiple routes and shifting traffic seamlessly when one provider encounters issues. But even with advanced solutions, route diversity should remain a top consideration when setting up redundancy.
Final Thoughts
Selecting the right backup internet connection requires careful planning, but the payoff is huge. By diversifying providers, understanding your bandwidth requirements, and ensuring true independence between services, you can protect your business from costly disruptions. Redundancy isn’t about preparing for “if” an outage happens—it’s about being ready for “when.”
